Griffin: Changes needed to Common Core standardsAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK — Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin said Tuesday that Arkansas should keep some elements of Common Core, but make improvements where needed to the controversial education standards and rename them to better reflect the state’s needs. Griffin, a Republican ex-congressman, said he’ll make the recommendations to a task force he’s heading that’s looking at the future of the state’s involvement in Common Core. Formed by Republican G...

Family gives $1.5 million to Arkansas Children’s HospitalLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Children’s Hospital says it has received $1.5 million to help fund an endowed chair dedicated to research. Mary and Ross Whipple donated the money, which will be matched by the hospital’s research institute board. The chair is designed to support pediatric research in a number of areas. The hospital announced the gift Monday and said it was in honor of Dr. Richard F. Jacobs. The hospital said it is the first distinguishe...

Woman gets check in mail 17 years laterAssociated Press HARRISON — An Arkansas woman said she finally has received a check in the mail that she had been waiting on for about 17 years. Barbara Fraizer of Harrison said she received a letter earlier this month with a postal money order for $200. She told the Harrison Daily Times that she thought something was wrong because the man from whom the check was mailed no longer lived at the address in Des Moines, Iowa. But then she realized ...

Little Rock Zoo officials announce birth of chimpanzeeLITTLE ROCK — The Little Rock Zoo has announced the birth of a chimpanzee. The zoo said Monday that the male chimp was born July 18 to Mahale. The father has not been identified, but the zoo said officials believe it is Kijana — the alpha male chimpanzee of the group. The zoo is also asking the public to help choose a name for the baby chimp. The staff has selected three names — Jumoke, which is Swahili for “everyone loves the child;” Kgosi, w...

Man cutting grass finds body in Arkansas fieldCABOT — Pulaski County authorities say the body of a man found in a field near Cabot on Sunday has been identified as a missing Bryant man. Capt. Carl Minden, a spokesman for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s office, said Monday the man has been identified as Ryan Clemmons, who was reported missing to the Bryant Police Department this month. Authorities did not release any other details about Clemmons. A man cutting grass behind his home found Clem...

Arkansas board votes to end Rebel mascot, 'Dixie' song LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A school board in northwestern Arkansas voted Monday to drop a high school's "Johnny Reb" mascot and "Dixie" fight song after the shooting deaths of nine people inside their historic black church in South Carolina reignited a debate nationwide about the use of symbols of the Confederacy. Fort Smith school board members have said a recurring discussion about changing the mascot and the Old South anthem used as the fight...

19-year-old killed in 2-vehicle crash near YellvilleYELLVILLE — Arkansas State Police say a 19-year-old Brockwell man has been killed in a 2-vehicle collision near Yellville in Marion County. A state police report says Robert Henderson died in the Sunday afternoon crash on Highway 14. The report says Henderson was a passenger in car that was traveling westbound when it crossed the centerline and collided with an eastbound sport utility vehicle. The report says the two drivers of the vehicles we...

Hutchinson seeks $7.4 million to open 200 new prison bedsAssociated Press HOT SPRINGS — Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday said he wants to tap an additional $7.4 million from Arkansas reserve funds to open 200 more prison beds to help ease the backlog of state inmates housed at local jails. The Republican governor told the Arkansas Sheriffs Association at the group’s summer meeting that he will ask lawmakers to approve the funding to open the beds in about 18 months at a Pine Bluff prison facility. “I’m...

Fort Smith schools consider ending Rebel mascot, ‘Dixie’Associated Press LITTLE ROCK — A school board in northwestern Arkansas is considering whether to drop a high school mascot and direct that its band no longer play its “Dixie” fight song in the wake of a racially motivated shooting at a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina, last month. Fort Smith School board members have said a recurring discussion of changing the fight song and Rebel mascot reignited after the shooting at t...

Attorney general’s office rejects 5 pot proposalsAssociated Press CONWAY — The Arkansas attorney general’s office has rejected five proposed ballot titles that would have asked voters to legalize marijuana for various purposes. But Robert Reed of Dennard said he isn’t giving up and is planning to appeal the most recent denials, on July 20, by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, who cited ambiguities in two of the proposals Reed submitted. Reed told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he suffers...

Boozman honors Russellville native WyattSPECIAL TO THE COURIER WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) delivered a speech on the Senate floor Friday in honor of the service and sacrifice of Russellville native Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, a U.S. Marine who was shot and killed when a gunman attacked a military facility in Chattanooga, Tenn. Staff Sgt. Wyatt was laid to rest Friday at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. The following are Boozman’s remarks as prepared for delivery: “The...

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SPECIAL TO THE COURIERThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Probe continues after 2-year-old found dead in carAssociated Press HOT SPRINGS — Authorities continue to investigate the cause of death for a 2-year-old found dead in a car in Hot Springs. Jeff Saunders, a shift commander with the Hot Springs Fire Department, says the department and EMS workers responded to a call around 3:20 p.m. Friday concerning a dead child in a vehicle in a residential neighborhood. Saunders says the manner of death may not be known until Monday. TV station KTHV reported...

ASCP announces state Capitol will close on weekendsFOR THE COURIER LITTLE ROCK — Due to ongoing construction and concern for the safety of visitors, the Arkansas State Capitol Police are advising the public that the Capitol building will be closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays beginning this Saturday, July 25. The closure will remain in effect through the fall as construction work is completed. The Capitol is currently undergoing renovations, including on the north end of the building in...

Eureka Springs to keep anti-discrimination ordinanceAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK — The mayor of a northwest Arkansas city on Tuesday said a measure banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity will continue being enforced despite a new state law aimed at prohibiting such ordinances. Eureka Springs Mayor Robert “Butch” Berry said the city has no plans to back down from its ordinance, approved by voters in May. It bans agencies and businesses from discriminating against ...

Ex-officers charged in youth’s arm injuryAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK — Two former law enforcement officers in Yell County face felony charges for their involvement in breaking a 13-year-old boy’s arm at a juvenile detention center last year. Former Danville police officer Timothy Spears and former Yell County sheriff’s deputy Michael Spears are each charged with second-degree battery in connection with the March 2014 altercation with the boy that resulted in a severe fracture of his...

Arkansas unemployment declines to 5.7% in JuneAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services says Arkansas’ unemployment rate last month dropped slightly to 5.7 percent. The agency said Tuesday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined one-tenth of a percentage point in June from 5.8 percent in May. The national jobless rate declined two-tenths of a percentage point, from 5.5 percent in May to 5.3 percent in June. Arkansas’ civilian labor force ...

Permit approved for alcohol sales at Arkansas StateJONESBORO — A permit has been approved allowing alcohol to be served at some events on the Arkansas State University campus. ASU says Arkansas Alcohol Beverage Control Board Director Bud Roberts approved the permit for the NEA Sports Club of Jonesboro on Monday, conditional on a final inspection of the facilities. ASU’s Board of Trustees in April approved a 10-year lease agreement with the nonprofit sports club allowing it to serve alcohol to ...

New laws aimed at helping domestic violence victimsAssociated Press LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas law enforcement officers will be required to ask domestic violence victims a series of questions to determine their risk of being killed, and must provide the victims a card with information about assistance and their rights under new laws taking effect this week. State lawmakers said Monday that the measures, which take effect on Wednesday after being approved by the Legislature earlier this year, are a...

Arkansas governor temporarily moves guard recruitersLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is temporarily closing the state’s nine storefront National Guard recruitment centers as officials review their security following last week’s attacks on two military facilities in Tennessee. Hutchinson on Monday signed an executive order moving Guard members from the centers to their nearest armory or wing while Adjutant General Major General Mark Berry works on recommendations for improving security...

Don’t be scammed by your ‘favorite grandson’LITTLE ROCK — Scammers are reviving an old ploy to swindle the elderly out of their money. The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office Public Protection Department has recently seen an uptick in reports of the “favorite grandson” scam. These con artists prey on the elderly by calling and identifying themselves as the individual’s favorite grandson or other close relative, who is in serious trouble or has been in an accident and needs money wired ri...